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c/proposal-workshopiris_barnes87iris_barnes8721d agoProlific Poster

Can we talk about that proposal template I copied from a YouTube guy

So last month I used this proposal template from a popular YouTube freelancer for a big HVAC controls project. Looked professional, had all the right sections... but I totally missed that it was designed for web design work, not technical contracting. The client called me out on it in the middle of our call, said my timeline estimates felt copied from someone else. Felt like an idiot sitting there. I ended up scrapping the whole thing and rewriting it from scratch based on my actual job workflow. Now I break down each task with real time estimates from my own records. Has anyone else tried using someone else's template and had it blow up on them?
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3 Comments
sethm58
sethm5821d ago
felt like an idiot sitting there" at least you learned templates are just starting points not finished products.
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paulnguyen
paulnguyen20d ago
Started tweaking colors and fonts on mine right away and it looked way better.
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wells.evan
wells.evan20d ago
Using templates someone else made is basically admitting you don't know your own business. If you can't look at a web design proposal and immediately see how it doesn't fit a controls project, that's on you for not understanding what you're selling. Rewriting it from scratch after getting called out just means you finally did the work you should've done before ever sending the first version. Maybe getting embarrassed on a call is the only way some people learn to actually think through their pricing and timelines.
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